Chapter 128 Jason pov Is this what I get for betraying Andrea? Is this the price I have to pay—for letting the wrong person into my life and letting the right one walk away? I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor like it might give me answers. My fingers were tangled in my hair, and I couldn’t even remember the last time I looked in a mirror. I didn’t want to. I didn’t need to see what I’d become. I already felt it. My life’s a mess. I closed my eyes and let out a shaky breath. I’m trapped. That thought keeps spinning in my head. I say it every morning when I wake up and every night when I lie down. I’m stuck in a life I built with my own hands, and now I can’t find the door to escape it. I walk through this house and nothing feels like mine. It all feels fake like the walls are closing in, like I’m suffocating in silence. A marriage built on lies, anger, and guilt. And all of it started the day I let Claire in. Claire. God, how did I not see it? How did I end
Chapter 127Claire's povI stared at the pale blue walls for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Jason and his family dumped me here. For the wife of a billionaire, I had no special treatment. No VIP suite, no private nurse, and no quiet classical music playing in the background. Just me, a worn-out mattress, and the occasional knock from one of the maids they kept sending.Was this their own way of punishing me for lying to them? And to think Jason was the reason I was here. What if I had died? Didn’t he feel guilty for making me go through all this pain?A week had passed since I was admitted. Seven days of treatments, bland meals, and impersonal care. Not once did Jason visit. Not a single call or message. How cruel can one be? The only visitor who came once was his mother. She didn’t even stay up to ten minutes before she left. Since then, they only sent the maids to deliver necessities to me.I didn’t need to be told the only reason for sending the maids was because o
Chapter 126 Andrea’s POV I sat curled up on the couch, a blanket tucked around my legs. My eyes were on the television, but I wasn’t really watching. Jake had gotten an urgent call from work and was in the room talking on the phone. I breathed in and smelled Jake’s cologne. It was still on the shirt, and it was weird how comforting it felt. Like somehow it was a little piece of him still here with me. I didn’t know why I felt both comforted and nervous at the same time. The truth was, I hadn’t stopped replaying last night over and over in my head. Not because I was uncertain about what happened, but because I was surprised. Surprised at how real it felt. How right it felt. I’d told myself for so long that love like this wasn’t meant for me anymore. That I was too broken. Love was more like a mistake to me, and I had buried it in the past. But when I looked at Jake he filled the emptiness in me. I never thought I’d be here — feeling this calm, feeling like maybe I actually deser
Jake’s POV The morning light crept into the room slowly, sliding across the bed in long golden streaks. I blinked against the brightness, groggy at first, then still. For a few seconds, I just laid there, not moving, not thinking—just breathing, feeling the weight of the woman next to me, the warmth of her skin brushing against mine under the covers. Andrea. I turned my head toward her. The duvet had slipped slightly off her shoulder, exposing a soft curve of skin and a few strands of her messy hair resting on her collarbone. She looked peaceful. Fragile, almost. Her lips were slightly parted, and lashes fanned out over her cheeks. There was a quietness about her in sleep that I rarely got to witness. Like the weight of everything, Jason, the lies, the fights, had finally lifted just enough to let her rest. I could still feel last night in my bones. Every kiss, every whispered word, the way she clung to me like she was trying to forget the world. It hadn’t felt rushed. It hadn’t
Chapter 124Andrea's pov The flashing red lights from the ambulance blinked in front of me. I stood frozen, arms crossed tightly against my chest, my stomach twisted in knots. Claire was being lifted into the back of the vehicle, her face pale, streaked with drying blood. A thin oxygen mask covered her mouth. She winced with each movement, barely conscious, but alive.It wasn’t supposed to end like this.“I wanted her hurt,” I murmured to Jake, my voice barely above the wind, “but not like this. Not with her life in danger.”Jake stood beside me, hands in his pockets, shoulders stiff. “This isn’t on us,” he said, his tone calm but not cold. “Jason pushed her. That’s on him. You shouldn’t be blaming yourself.”But I was. I couldn’t help it.Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I watched the paramedics secure Claire inside. As much as I hated and resented her never wanted to see her lying in a pool of blood. Not someone who was once a friend.Behind me, I could hear Jason talking to
Chapter 123Claire’s POVEverything was going fine tonight. I just sat and watched with a smile, happy my plan had come to perfection. Luke picked the perfect people to play as my parents. They looked and played the part so well, if I didn’t know better, I would’ve fallen for their act too.“I hope you’re enjoying the food,” Jason’s mother said, her voice warm as she looked across the table.“Oh yes, very delicious,” my supposed father replied, wiping at the corner of his mouth with a linen napkin.She chuckled, clearly pleased. “I’m glad you like it.”“We sure do,” my fake mother added, nodding gently. “Thank you for taking good care of my daughter. She has nothing but good things to say about you and your family.”I had picked the outfit, my fake mum, was wearing myself because I knew how much Jason’s mum cared about fashion. She wore a silk gown worth millions, a large pearl necklace, and a designer bag. All of it was from my boutique. I’d have to put them back after tonight. Funny